Tesla CEO Elon Musk has spurred controversy and attracted criticism from health experts by saying in recent months that the reaction to the spread of COVID-19 has been overblown.
On Wednesday, Musk made what were perhaps his most combative remarks to date about the response to the disease, calling the shelter-in-place orders made by some US states "fascist" and akin to imprisonment.
"It's breaking people's freedoms in ways that are horrible and wrong and not why they came to America or built this country. What the f---," Musk said during Tesla's first-quarter earnings call.
Musk's remarks evoked a range of reactions on Twitter and among his own employees. Four Tesla employees shared with Business Insider their reactions to Musk's comments. Each of them requested anonymity due to a fear of reprisal from Tesla, but their identities are known to Business Insider.
Here's what they said.
Tesla did not respond to a request for comment.
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